In search for breatheable top/bottom raingear
 

Ok need some help here and feedback fromt he folks with what they have and how they like it.

I'm looking for a breatheable lightweight jacket and pants setup. Please respond with what you have, your experience with the product, and URL's to your recommendations.

I have been looking at MEC's pants but the one that people seem to give good marks on is pretty expensive. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1206033032135 is $95 CDN.

I live in a hilly area so breathability is a good thing when I'm climbing a hill for 5-10mins. For the jacket pit zippers I think is a must for me to flush some heat out and keeping cooler while still shedding most of the rain off me.

I'm also concerned about the summer heat (~+30C - +40C with humidex) in said gear. Yes I know Goretex is king but I'm no king with the chequebook for those prices. I would like something cheaper that can do close to the game thing.

I'm also thinking of the Pearl Izumi Vagabond jacket.

Thanks in advance.

I can't speak to the pants question, but I just got a Performance Century II jacket. I'm pretty happy with it thus far. Bear in mind that it is intended as an outer wind/rain cheating shell, so it isn't anything more than that.

Kotts

If it's summer and it's raining, just get wet cuz your rain gear won't keep you from soaking in your own sweat. As for goretex, you save a lot commuting by bike so spend some on rain gear that'll last you a few years.

I like rain capes for the summer. Goretex gets way too sweaty for me. My top will stay bone dry in a downpour, and the air beneath the cape keeps me cool.

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...roductId=10130

If it is super windy it can slow you down a lot, but its not too bad. They are also cheap!

I bought a pair of Novara pants not too long ago and I'm very happy with them. I've been caught in one hard downpour (a couple of light showers) since I got them, and I stayed dry and comfortable. They fold up nicely to go in my backpack if it's expected to rain and are comfortable enough to wear when its not raining. I have worn them on quite a few occasions where it was a little chilly in the morning and expected to warm up a lot by mid-afternoon where I would want to ride home in shorts.

I bought the PI Vagabond jacket (on sale for $45, yay!) shortly after buying the pants and I am very happy with it as well. The vents allow for a lot of breatheability but it will also keep you happy on a cold day (with a good base layer). I have yet to be caught in anything more than a light shower, so I cannot attest for its performance in heavy rain. I image you would get wet in heavy rain as its not a totally waterproof jacket, but waterproof and breatheable jackets are way out of my budget. It has been pretty much the only jacket I have worn since I bought it, where as before I would alternative between different jackets based on temperature/weather. It folds up really nice too.

edit:
Somehow I missed the part about summer heat. I agree with what other's have said, just get wet. I'd rather be soaked from rain than soaked from sweat. :)

Get this instead. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1206038889377
If it isn't waterproof enough, use a seam sealer to waterproof the seams.

Stay away from Gore-Tex, it sucks. Even the top-of-the-line Gore-Tex Proshell isn't good enough for cycling in the rain.

Summer heat 30C-40C, just get wet, don't even bother with waterproof clothings.

Well ok. Looking back in 20/20 people are right when it's that hot the rain is a god send but I guess lets just take away those summer temps for now and look more in the 0C - 15C temps as spring is around the corner.

How are the Preformance and Nashbar house brand products? Pricing looks good but I've no experience with thier stuff other then MEC's Super Microcoft jacket.

Why don't you tell us your price range so we don't waste time recommending things you'll never buy.

I have a showers pass elite 2.0 jacket and it works great. Keeps out the rain and wind and at the same time breathes well. One day it was cold (but not raining) and I wore my old jacket (performance century II) and swore I never would again. With the old jacket on, I ended up soaked with sweat because it didn't breathe. eVent is the ticket (that's what the elite 2.0 is made from).

I also have the rain pants from showers pass but haven't used them yet (my commute is only 25 minutes so it would need to be a pretty cold rain -- like near freezing -- to want to have pants on... cause I'd get hot).

That being said, in the summer, you're not gonna want to wear any rain gear or you'll be miserably hot. Rain gear is ok during the other 3 seasons but not summer.

I have been using this jacket (and the matching pants) for winter commuting in Minnesota. I has worked well for Spring/Fall rainy days when it is cooler.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=1130
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=1130

I agree with the other posters that it is just too hot to wear a rainsuit in the summer, so I usually just get wet it it's warm. I may try a cape this summer though.

The jacket and pants I linked have held up well. They have pit zipper vents, and have been great with a pair of tights under the pants, and a Champion C9 long-sleeved top and UnderArmour top in weather down to zero here in MN.

I live in Portland, which is the home of Showers Pass. A couple of weeks ago I shared part of my ride home from work with 2 guys who work for the company. I told them while I love my Elite jacket, I've never bought the pants because I get too hot - even in the winter. I have a pair of Rainmates, but they're not as waterproof as I'd like them to be. They told me that next year, Showers Pass will be coming out with their own version of Rainmates made out of eVent fabric. I'm really looking forward to having these be both waterproof and breathable:

http://rainmates.nl/Library/Inactie/inactie_2210.jpg

I use J&G stuff from www.bicycleclothing.com. The jacket was $100 and has been well worth it. I've ridden it every rainy or cold day for 2+ years and it still looks like new. I'd buy one again without question. My window for rain pants is pretty narrow; when it's > 50 I just wear shorts and let my legs get wet, when it's below freezing I wear jogging pants and don't get wet, when it's cold but not freezing, I still wear the jogging pants, I get a little wet and cold, but so far it doesn't happen to me enough to be worth spending $100 on pants. If it really bothered me for the 4 or 5 days a year it happened, I'd probably just wear some cheap non-breathing rain pants.

Capes work well for some people. Be careful though. I bought one and used it until the first windy day. It came very close to killing me when it caught the wind and almost threw me in front of a large truck. I threw it away that evening. I'd rather be wet or a little sweaty than flattened under a truck. It was unbelievable in a headwind; I might as well have walked.

I own a pair of REI Elements rain pants. I hate them because of the noise they make. I would almost rather freeze to death than hear swish-swish-swish when I pedal. In any case, I wear them if it's cold/rainy when I leave the house. They do fine job keeping me dry on a one-hour commute in fairly heavy rain and wind.

Other days I just get wet -- though I think the Rainlegs mentioned above are interesting. I couldn't imagine wearing the Elements rain pants in the heat...yuck.

There is absolutely no way to avoid getting soaked under such conditions. Anything that will keep the rain out will leave you drenched with sweat.

The easiest way to stay dry is to just wear shorts and a lightweight short sleeve jersey. You'll get wet right away, but you'll also dry in a few minutes as soon as you're out of the rain even with no towel. Carry a very lightweight windbreaker just in case it gets a little chilly.

This solution is far cheaper and will work far better than anything else. Note that shoe covers still make sense because shoes still take forever to dry out once you fill them with water.

In the summer I agree. get wet, or wear a thin windvest.
In spring/fall/winter there is raingear that keeps you dry when cycling, even climbing hills.

As others have mentioned, showerspass elite is about the best, but out of your price range.
Stay away from goretex, its absolute crap for cycling. J&G has good stuff for a lower price also.

From Mtn equipment, get the whirlwind tights. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1206311393839
They have windproof front, and spandex back, you'll get a bit wet on the back of the legs but stay warm.

For upper, get either the http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1206311322828

or one of the non cycling specific softshells which'll keep you dry for an an hour or 2. Like this one
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1206311523680

It's easier to keep dry in the winter, but it's hard to avoid sweating unless temps and your effort level are pretty stable. Regardless of the temp, I think it's usually a better option to figure out how to stay warm when you're wet than it is to stay dry. In winter, I wear neoprene.

Having said that, few things are more depressing than donning cold wet tights, jerseys, and socks before a commute home. Fortunately, I can keep a drying rack in my office so this is no longer a problem.

I disagree.

Learning how to stray warm while wet is one option, I prefer arriving dry. It's not that hard to arrive not covered in sweat. Dont wear too many layers, and wear well made cycling gear in material like event, with lots of venting. No one said you wont sweat either. Just like in summer, climbing a hill in summer i sweat, just that it clears quickly. Good raingear is the same, you'll sweat but the gear has enough breathability and ventign that it all clears in minutes.

I agree that previous so called breatahable waterproof materials sucked, like goretex. But times have improved, and that coupled with good base layers like powerdry, there are a lot of users on here who like me arrive dry.

I also hate putting on cold wet clothes at the end of work, thats why i figured out the "arrive at work dry" method.

+1 what that guy said.

My commute is about ten miles one way and I do it year round here in the rainy NW. I've had good luck with a Novara Stratos Bike Jacket for going on two years now and I would buy it again without giving it a second thought. It is also on sale now for a good price if you like the SPICE color.
http://www.rei.com/product/724360

Ciao,
Timothy

In temps above 65 degF I just wear my jersey and shorts. The exertion or riding my hilly commute keeps me plenty warm.

I, too, have found that even the breathable rain suites like Gortex tends to hold moisture and make the rider wet "from the inside".

Nothing is perfect. Perhaps the best solution is still a good bicycle rain poncho worn with leg gaitors. Campmor offers a bicycle rain poncho with the thumb and feet straps. $29.99. Remember to use gaitors too:

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...Id=40000000226

As myself and others mentioned in this and every other 'waterproof' thread, Goretex is overpriced crap when it comes to cycling. There are other materials that 'breath' 2x the amount that goretex does. Those are the ones that dont make you wet from the inside. There are multiple threads on which ones work well, do a search if your interested.